School District Adopts A Tough Anti-smoking Policy * Northwestern Lehigh Will Expel Smokers And Require That They Seek Counseling To Quit Habit.

August 15, 1997|by ELIZABETH BARTOLAI (A free-lance story for The Morning Call)

Northwestern Lehigh School District has a tough new policy to deal with students who smoke at the high school.

The school board Thursday voted unanimously to expel students for a semester if they are caught smoking twice during their high school career.

Students caught a third time will be expelled for a year.

Both offenses will require participation in a smoking cessation class.

First-time offenders will get a five-day, out-of-school suspension with a smoking cessation class or a 10-day out-of-school suspension.

Smoking students also can be criminally charged with violating the clean indoor air act and with possession of a tobacco product. Both carry fines of $50 and court costs of $78.50.

Adoption of the policy came after two lengthy meetings at which the board discussed the best way to curb what students, parents and teachers have classified as the school's No. 1 discipline problem.

"This doesn't set a higher standard for smoking than for weapons or drugs," board member the Rev. Jeffery Kistler said.

High School Principal Dennis Nemes responded, "I see it as equalling or paralleling."

Nemes introduced a tough no-smoking policy at June's board meeting. His first proposal requested a "two strikes and you're out" approach requiring a student to appear for an expulsion hearing after the second smoking offense.

Nemes told the board Thursday the punishment for an additional violation was added after the question was raised about how to handle a student caught a third time.

The policy also spells out how to implement a student's expulsion.

Expulsion hearings in the first 45 days of a semester result in expulsions for that semester. After that, infractions result in expulsions in the following semester.

Second semester senior year violations mean immediate expulsion.

Nemes said all parents will receive a notice of the policy change in the mail and the policy and penalties will be introduced to students at school opening assemblies. He said advisers will review the policy with their students.

"We're going to get behind this and get strong implementation," Nemes said.

Northwestern formerly required students caught smoking three times in a school year to appear before the board for an expulsion hearing. Violations did not carry over into the next school year.

Nemes reported in June that surveys showed students, parents and staff were "almost unanimous" in wanting the school district to curb smoking.